Two University of Utah students have the opportunity to win a $750 scholarship for submitting essays on the topic of what tolerance means to them. 

Students are encouraged to share their personal experiences in 500 words, focusing on how those experiences can contribute to creating a better society. The essay should be summarized with the closing hashtag, #ToleranceMeans, that encapsulates their idea. 

Essays are due by Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. MT. Two winners from the U—an undergraduate and a graduate—will each receive a $750 prize for their work. More information about the contest and the submission form can be found here. Previous winning essays can be found here. 

The Tolerance Means Dialogues project is a national organization hosting essay contests and public conversations across the country designed to “bring together students and thought leaders to find more constructive approaches to living together in a pluralistic society.”

The Utah competition is co-sponsored by the University of Utah and the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark School of Law. It is open to undergraduate and graduate students at these institutions, and those who attend a college or university within a 100-mile radius of the U and BYU. Additional sponsors for the event include Equality Utah, the 1st Amendment Partnership, the Fairness for All Initiative, Braver Angels and the Federalist Society at both BYU and the U’s law schools. 

The winning essays will be featured at an event at the Utah State Capitol on Oct. 30. Held from 5-6:15 pm. This free event will feature opening remarks from Utah Governor Spencer Cox and a panel co-moderated by Jason Perry, U vice president for government relations and director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, and Elizabeth Clark, associate director and interim chair for law and religion studies at BYU. Learn more and RSVP for the event here.